


Hurry Home To My Heart

by deandratb



Category: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 20:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13349229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandratb/pseuds/deandratb
Summary: Prompt fic; Alice can't sleep without Matthew.She wakes from dreams where he’s in danger and lies frozen in the dark, wondering where he is in that moment. She wakes warm and sweaty after dreams of them together, and aches to touch him.





	Hurry Home To My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt: **Alice can’t sleep at night without Matthew by her side**

She used to sleep fine.

Oh, maybe as a child she was prone to nightmares, and of course she was sleep-deprived while she trained to become a doctor. But once her life was settled--and it was settled for years before she met him--she kept consistent sleeping hours, and slept deeply and well.

Matthew changed everything, including her sleep habits.

She still tries to stay on a consistent schedule when he works nights, rising early and turning in alone, soothing herself with tea and honey before bed.

But his absence makes good sleep impossible.

Her whole life changed, the day he leaned over in the movie theater during a quiet moment in a Hitchcock thriller and kissed her for the first time. Their friendly movie dates were her favorite part of the week, and when Matthew nipped lightly at her bottom lip, grinning in the darkness in response to her little gasp, it was as though her world burst into colors she’d never been able to see before.

It was so late in her life, to fall in love--to find a real partner. Matthew made her want to try harder, get better at expressing her feelings rather than hiding behind her lab coat. And as rocky as things were while they both adjusted to no longer being wholly independent, life was brilliant once they smoothed out.

No one ever warned her, though, not one of the smug people who were happily entangled, that once you traded your independence for compromise and support, your lover would fill all your empty places, spreading out inside you like the warmth of a sunny day until you could no longer remember the tenor of your life before they were in it.

She didn’t regret the difference, but she wish she had known.

Because nights without Matthew are chilly, no matter how many blankets she burrows under, and restless, without his solid presence snug against her--reminding her she’s no longer alone, chasing away nightmares.

She wakes from dreams where he’s in danger and lies frozen in the dark, wondering where he is in that moment. She wakes warm and sweaty after dreams of them together, and aches to touch him. She wakes all night long, tossing and turning and waiting for him to come home.

And every morning, no matter how bad the dreams were, even when they’re so realistic she fears she’ll get a phone call instead of Matthew...he always returns to her side.

The familiar rhythm of Matthew’s loping gait wakes her out of the light doze she’s usually in, and she keeps her eyes squeezed tight against the sun while she listens to him put his gun away, shed his uniform, and finally climb into bed next to her.

He knows how much she misses him, but even more than that, he knows how much she needs him. Needs this, the morning ritual of his return, finally allowing her to relax again in his company. So he always follows the same routine. It’s an act of love on his part, no matter how rough the night was or how tired he is.

Matthew slides under the covers, shifting over carefully until they’re as close as is physically possible, the entire length of him pressed against her back like a guarding wall.

As the bed resettles under his weight, Alice smiles at the feeling of Matthew’s lips trailing kisses across her shoulderblades and along the curve of her spine. Every kiss comes with an endearment: his way of saying hello, of telling her he’ll always come back if he’s able. Easing the scars he knows she carries that haunt her nights alone.

“Good morning, love.”

“This freckle is my favorite.”

“You make the best sound with my mouth...right...here.”

“I love your hair like this.”

That one gets a giggle; he knows that she cut her hair for practicality’s sake, and that she hates the way sleep makes it stand up in all directions.

She knows he adores it.

When Matthew is done mapping her back with kisses, he slides his hand in hers, fingers lacing together as a final level of connection. Only then does Alice turn out of the cuddle and kiss him back, cool lips warming against his tired ones, tongues meeting until at least one of them moans.

She prefers it when her Superintendent works the day shift, and comes home to share dinner before they go to bed together. Given the choice, she would never sleep alone.

But the morning reunions, they’re pretty nice too.

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed from "Return to Me" by Dean Martin.


End file.
